Wednesday, January 20, 2016

UPDATE: thanks to reader "Unknown" in the comments below for the tip that Big Lots is having another Friends & Family event this weekend! Saturday through Sunday (1/23 - 1/24), Buzz Club Rewards members will receive 20% off all purchases storewide. Click here for more info and to grab your coupon (you can also show this coupon from your smartphone at the register). If you're not already a Buzz Club member, it's free to sign up in-store or online. Definitely worth it if you shop at Big Lots regularly.

My last few Big Lots trips over the past month or so haven't really produced anything noteworthy (in other words, no good stuff to share with you), but over the weekend I paid Big Lots another visit and WHOA was I surprised! It seems that right now, Big Lots is receiving lots of shipments of products that the drugstores are currently discontinuing (i.e., stuff you're also finding on clearance at CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Walmart and Target right now). This is the time of year that mass/drugstore retailers are cleaning up, getting rid of old stock, and preparing for display resets to bring in all the new 2016 products.

So what I'm trying to say is, if you love any of the drugstore products that are being discontinued right now, don't limit yourself to the drugstores and big box stores in terms of stocking up. Try Big Lots too. Of course you may not always find the products I feature in these posts at your local Big Lots, but these posts serve to give you an idea of what's out there, and what you may find in your area.

That said, here's a look at some of the noteworthy items I found at my Big Lots this weekend. Let's start with the makeup:

In addition to the products in the pic at the very top of this post, I found lots and lots of lip colors by Revlon, Maybelline and CoverGirl. As you can see in my pics above and below, there were jumbo pencils from Revlon and CoverGirl ($2), Maybelline Colorsensational Vivids Lipsticks ($3), Maybelline Color Elixirs ($3.50), CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lipsticks ($2.50), Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters ($2.50), and even the old CoverGirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balms ($1.80).

My Big Lots had so many limited edition polishes from Sinful Colors, Revlon, L'Oreal, Maybelline, and Sally Hansen. I recognized many of the shades from limited edition collections from 2015 and 2014, and I think I even spotted a few from 2013.

I didn't get a chance to jot down the shade names of the bottles pictured here, but I can tell you I spotted previous Halloween and Holiday collection shades from Sinful Colors, as well as shades from a various limited edition seasonal collections from Maybelline, Revlon, and L'Oreal. Basically, it was a polish-lovers paradise since most of these bottles were either $1, $1.20, or $1.50.

I was also surprised to see Pure Ice at Big Lots. I can't recall ever seeing Pure Ice there before (but maybe my memory is just fuzzy on that?). At any rate, I think these were all $1.20 each:

Moving on to skincare:

I spotted full-sized cleansers and moisturizers from Simple ($3.50). Note that the cleansers above come with a bonus 7-pack of towelettes.

I also spotted AcneFree Body Clearing Acne Spray for $2 and Suave Visible Glow for $1.50 (comes with a mini Moroccan body lotion).

I believe Maybelline discontinued this particular eye makeup remover formula, but I believe it was around $5 when you could still get it in stores ($3 at Big Lots).

I believe that L'Oreal discontinued this particular Youth Code cream, but it was around $20 when you could still get it at the drugstores ($8 at Big Lots).

So as you can see, there are lots of ways to save a nice chunk of change on beauty products at Big Lots right now. I would love to know what you've been spotting at your local Big Lots lately.

BONUS mini haul pics:

I resisted temptation and only purchased two beauty items during this shopping trip. I found the Suave limited edition Seasonals Collection Body Wash in Homemade Almond Cookie for $1.50 (this originally came out for Holiday 2013, but they re-released it for Holiday 2014 if my memory serves me correctly; they may have also re-released it for Holiday 2015 too, but I didn't see any Seasonals body washes in my area this holiday season).

I also purchased just one polish (what? I know!):

This is Sinful Colors Flake Out1567 which was a new topper for Holiday 2015. This was $1.50, and I basically had to have it after I googled for swatches in the store and stumbled upon these pics of it swatched on top of a dark purple creme. So pretty.

All of the above! It can literally be due to anything that you mentioned. Sometimes it's easier to figure out (from a consumer's perspective) if for instance, you see a product on a site like makeupalley.com that has received hundreds of negative reviews, it probably is a sign of poor sales as well, and that would get cut from the line. But sometimes things that are popular and well-loved get discontinued, and that often leaves us all scratching our heads. We'll never really now why those products went away (sometimes it has to do with ingredients, like if the brand's supplier can no longer provide a certain ingredient, it may no longer be possible, or cost-effective, for the brand to keep it in production). Or sometimes we may love something and think it's a hot seller, but in reality it's not as popular as we think, and it gets cut to make room for something new.

But often times, at Big Lots and dollar stores in particular, some products just get a packaging makeover, so the old style packaging gets sent to discounters. :)

I found similar at my Big Lots this past week. I bought 3 of the Cover Girl Lip Perfection lippies in 295 rich, 320 soulmate and 360 euphoria. I also got 2 packages of makeup remover wipes from the brand Blum naturals: 30 count for $3. They're all natural, cloth type wipes. I also found L'oreal Infallible eye crayons in several shades, I bought 700 Forever Taupe.

Sadly, I don't. That's something I've been meaning to do now that I actually own some of the Clinique Chubby Sticks (I didn't buy any for the longest time since there are so many great drugstore options, but I got some recently during one of the big holiday sales). Hopefully I can do a post about that soon. Thanks for asking!

Thank you thank you thank you! I can't tell you how many deals I've been able snag because our all your tips & the other readers suggestions. FYI - Skip the color molton eyeshadows & cream bombshell shadows. They are not even worth spending a quarter on!

So I hit up Big Lots today. I need a new heated mattress cover since mine just died. Its a must have in my house where I live. Anyway, I killed two birds with one stone so to speak. Didn't find the pad, but I did pick up Revlon Color Burst Laquer Balms in 125,110,130 all with the seals intact. There was lots of goodies and I would like to think I will make it back there when I have more time to browse.

I love the Covergirl and Revlon jumbo pencils. They fit so nicely in my purse and I can apply them easily.

My experience is that the Covergirl pencils (the creams and/or the sheers) have a lot more of a glossy finish where as the Revlon colorburst pencils have a really nice matte finish. Either way, you can't beat a two dollar price, right?

FYI, for those in Cali, Nevada, Texas 99 cents only has a lot of those same items. I just bought that sparkly peach sinful colours polish at target for .58. Target has awesome clearance makeup right now.

I found L'Oreal Telescopic mascara for $3.80 at my Big Lots! I like it a lot! I can keep applying it to my lashes and it does not get all clumpy on me. Also, it lengthens and plumps up my lashes. I don't get why it is being discontinued at all. I need to go back and get a couple of back-ups.

I found a few Carmex lip balm duo with an original stick and winter mint for $1 at my Big Lots.

By the way, you might be able to find the Acne Free Body Clearing spray even cheaper than $2. I've seen them pop up at a few Dollar Trees!

I also bought a tube of Covergirl Lashblast Fusion in BLUE! I didn't even know they sold it in blue. It's not a bright blue, but navy blue. It reminds me of the L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes in blue, but since it's Covergirl, I bet it's less likely to flake off my eyelashes.

Hey G! Have you heard/seen anything about any new Sinful Colors collections so far this year? I believe the last entry you had about them was around Halloween time and you are my go-to girl for polish info/deals/reviews! Thanks so much! :)

I'll definitely be checking out my local Big Lots on Saturday. From G's pictures (thanks for sharing those, btw!), I think I see a lot of the same Cover Girl lipsticks from the last time they had the 20% off. I picked up quite a few but my favorites are Heavenly, Euphoria, and Ravish. Once in a great while, there are also some Sephora by OPI nail polishes in the bins.

I hope I can find some of the Revlon balm stains. Those are awesome! They stain a bit more than the Clinique Chubby Sticks but the latter are a little more moisturizing.

At my Big Lots I bought a Goody Heritage Collection Classic Cushion hair brush for $4, retails for $15.99. This brush is a supposed to be a dupe of the Mason Pearson mixed boar and nylon bristle brush.

I have never purchase anything at Big Lot because for the 2-3 times I was there, I never found anything at all that was as good as what you've shown on here. Hopefully, I be able to find some good sale. It is not too bad of a drive there for me, but I find it is a bit sad since it is the only one near me.

I find these makeup companies don't really care about creating good quality makeup anymore, all they care about is bringing out new new new to try and stay on top of all the trends....you see it all with Maybelline, revlon, Covergirl, Loreal and all the high end brands do it.....create new flash products then discontinue it when the hype dies down. There's no loyalty or incentive to improve anymore...that's why i'm so over makeup these days...i used to be so obsessed with makeup...

My Big Lots in PA have had the Maybelline and Cover Girl lip crayons for a long time now. I got some as far back as 4 months ago. I know the most I paid was $3 because I am cheap (lol) and I wouldn't pay more than that for them even though I have seen them for $8 or more elsewhere. With the 20% off this weekend, that'll be a real good deal.

Thank you so much for this tip, G.! I went to Big Lots today and bought five CoverGirl Lip Perfection lipsticks and one NatureLuxe (never saw those before today, LOL!) and together with that 20% off, my grand total was 7.84! Score!!! I think I'll be checking other Big Lots if I happen to pass nearby as well, just in case. :D Though a word of warning--the displays were a total mess, so I made sure to get the ones that had the safety seals intact.

One big "BUT" - Bog Lots does not accept manufacturer's coupons, yet you can find the same kind of clearance items right now in Bed, Bath& Beyond, where you can use either 20% off or $5 of out of $15 coupon plus any manufacturer's coupons you have. That is what I call a double-score!